Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-01-13
NUMBER 38.


quoted, but that has grown from small begin
ming up through score Of years, and ia OF
small abeount as compared with our State
BY feadifig the reports Of Che different war
dens in the different States you will sec they all
agree that the average product Of convict is
not TO exceed from sixty to sixty-fve per cent OF
regular mechanic. Some places the per cent.
Is above, but more below, these figures. There
fore contractor pays nearly as much for his
labor as does the employer OF honest men He
also takes his laborers In the main without any
knowledge Of the trade they are to follow, and
teaches them to work upon his goods, and prob
tence just as they are becoming valuable to him,
and Is forced TO commence on raw hands again.
~ The next to consider is the piece-price system.
IN inns differs Irom the contract system only that
the State furnishes the labor and the contractor
the material. The competition In the outside
world Is just the Same as In tho contract sys-
tenn, only the State takes all the risk in break
ages and imperfect goods furnished. The over
seers and instructors are just the same ON
contract work, as / remarked before. The
former are always prison employees the
latter necessarily mechanics and it makes
no difference what system is adopted so far as
the care OF the prisoners or product of the
prison is concerned. And q change by or
dering the contractors to tear out their
spd ssass R R9@ng @ II nsT after
cles 10 DC manufactured settled upon, under
the piece-price system, will cost the State at
best hundreds of thousands of dollars and then
be no better than tho contract system in any
IebptCt uuu uluCu WOTbo duu ulOIo expensive
in many.
To some extent the piece-price plan is used in
both our prisons, and 1 recommend that they
be allowed to remain as they are, or grow as
seems best TO a limited extent upon hand work,
rs often feeble and unemployed men can be so
used.
Lastly comes the State account system, which
means always an immense loss, and sure to be
abandoned, In my opinion, by every State, ulti-
mately, which adopts 1t. II has cost the State
of Now York millions OF dollars TO try the ex-
nerifnefIt, and the end ia not vet. SunnOaa
adopt the State account system. You must
provide working capital Of at least $3.50 to the
ers, will make 100000. Then, what will you
manufacturer You have the men and money,
but no established business, no trade, no skilled
mechanics, no purchasing agents, no selling
agents all this you can get except an estab-
lished business, which only grows after years
and years OF toll ana always from small be-
ginning.
II you close out the contractors you can, per-
haps. purchase their machinery, but not their
business. Their customers are theif own but
not yours, You can find an army OF men who
will be willing to work for rich State, but
where will the responsibility lie? Then who is
to manage this business IL there is a change in
the administration, and If the law retains the
warden during good behavior, who is TO be the
judge Of such behavior? And IL he is incom-
petent or dishonest, who is going to take his
place?
tell you, gentlemen no man can fill such a
position, be he never so honest and capable !;
no man can superintend business until he
learns 1t from the root up. Even were all this
State account successful, where Is the competi-
tion to honest toll to be changed2 Gentlemen,
you are the guardians Of the State and its
Treasury, and should look at these cold
know, but State account system is
impracticable, and its adoption means an
enormous debt for the State, business that
would ruin any private individual, and In my
opinion return to the present plan, after a
great loss and whom your contractors have NIL
gone. L have received many letters and sug-
AanA flA 1. IAI
prisoners 30 work on public highways or at
breaking stones This is brutal both to prisoner
and his friends. In many instances cOnvicts
IRE innocent; In most cases his friends are.
OF course you will not consider such q course
for a moment.
Much is said concerning the ill-treatmefit Of
prisoners, that they are oVer-worked by con-
tractors, etc, etc. II this is truo the warden
alone is to be blamed, as he and his Keepers
have entire chdrge OF them, the contractors
confess to having no patience with people MAX
ing such charges. They are eitLer ignorant of the
facts or sentimentalists who visit a prisoner in
his cell who is guilty of the greatest crime and at
the same time forget the family made desolate by
such crime. The prison is place for punish
ment, not, OF course, for inhuman treatment Of
men. The inmates are as they should be, de-
prived OF the Injuries and other pleasures of
but so far as beng for wrong doing
is not true. The work of prisoners is no harder
than that OF honest men engaged in the same
work in any Of our shops and factories.
The product Of both our prisons 10 not one
third OF one per cent of that OF the manufac-
turers OF the State, and besides there are 243
free men engaged about the two prisons who
are thus withdrawn from the manufacturing
classes and made consumers of the products Of
the farm and shop. I sincerely trust and be-
lieve YOU will give this great subject the ear
nest thought it deserves.
wish to call your special attention TO the
Importance OF urging upon the general govern
ment the necessity Of at once purchasing and I'M
proving the canals between keweenaw BAY and
Lake Superior. The Importance OF these water.
l..kl 0W.N ,Hk l.aN...
harbors of refuge in case of storms cannot be
overestimated. At present they are too shall
low to admit vessels OF any considerable size.
Another great problem that must be solved in
the near future is the one OF immigration. Two
yvuIs uBO recommended tiIv Sotr.irauanee of
the Commissionership of Immigration but the
Legislature saw fit to abolish the Office and 1
an now satisfied that they were much wiser
than 1. An examination Of the records of our
PSSons poor n6 dGqSeS aSe and G will
OF inmates that are foreign lborn. Bad
people Of oil classes and conditions,
Ood pSgp9s apS Partially
shores having been sent from foreign countries
here because it is much cheaper to pay steerage
fare for them across the waters than to keep
them, end they bring up in our jails, prisons,
poor houses, and asylums, and are supported
by the. taxpayers Of our State. While believe
it is for the best interests of this country to in
vite people, no matter how large the num-
bers, to come here from foreign lands,
provided they arc healthful in body
and in mind, capable of earning
time Of peace, and who would be willing in time
of war, should that ever come, to take up arms
to defend this country, yet would forever ex-
clude the class referred to, and would not allow
n person to immigrate to this country who can
not present n certificate as to soundness of body,
mind and character. As said before, this land
OF ours should not be dumping ground for
these paupers nor should disturbers OF the peace,
such as Nihiistss and Anarchists from other
countries. be tolerated here. These are the dis
.l..
ing in strength in our midst. 1 commend that a
joint resolution DO adopted, asking our Con-
gressmen to urge that laws be enacted carrying
out these views
Another matter should receive your attention.
There is you well know, on the western shores
OF this great country a horde OF Chinese Pagans.
They come from q country where the whole
population OF the United States In numbers
could be taken from and scarcely missed.
Their immigration to this country should be for
ever stopped. They are not mt subjects to become
citizens they have no interest in this govern
ment they send all their earnings back to their
native land, and when they have accumulated
a small sum they return there, only to send out,
TO take their places, hordes Of similar people,
They disgrace labor; they will work for wages
and lay up the greater portion Of their earn
ings-that will not support white man. They
are "upas tree" to the growth Of the country
/ recommend that you urge upon our members Of
Congress the necessity Of the enactment of a law
that shall forever forbid another one of that
race from landing in this country. We have no
use for them, and the sooner stringent laws are
passed prohibiting them from coming here. the
better IL will be for the country.
The Mormon question ought to be settled at
once. Polygamy should be strangled now and
i hope you will urge members OF Congress
TO take mmediate steps to consummate this
much desired object II is a blot upon our flag
and disgrace to the nation.
RUSSELL A. ALGER.
THERE are little, sweet, pretty and
green oases all the way through the
Joaayt ~ l;fa INIT Tho fat man Who